How to make a Record Breaker!

Image 1: Michael with the final modelTechnic designer Michael Jeppesen with the LEGO® Technic 42033 Record Breaker jet car.

First thing first: Did you get to drive a real jet car as part of your research for the 42033 Record Breaker?

Hehe, no. Sometimes we do get to try the real life versions of the wehicle we are designing -- unfortunately this was not one of those times.

What kind of record-breaking features can we expect from this feisty little rocket?

It’s really, really fast! Our pullback motor is designed to work with a wide range of wheel sizes, and in this case, we opted for small wheels for fast acceleration. With big wheels you lose some momentum on acceleration, and instead you increase the distance the car can go. This car is designed to reach maximum speed within the range of a typical children’s room/living room. And that fits in well with how real jet cars race: short but fast.

Image 2: PrototypesMichael with some of the prototypes used to test different designs and color schemes for the LEGO® Technic 42033 Record Breaker jet car.

And speaking of real, is it based on a specific car brand?

We looked at lots of different cars for inspiration. It is not based on one specific design. It’s our dream version of a jet-car. What is interesting about designing smaller models is that you need to have an eye for the perfect way to combine relatively few elements in a way that gives the model as much authenticity as possible. That’s an exciting part of the design process, and I think our efforts really paid off. It’s highly detailed, and the stickers are, too.

As for functionality, the ultimate purpose of this car is racing. Fast. So there is no steering, as that might bring the car off its course and slow it down. It does have a cockpit that opens, though.

And that looks like a LEGO® System element?

Yes, all the elements used in the car were already in the LEGO element assortment. We use System elements when we believe they add value to a model. And this element helped us achieve the look we wanted.

Why does that dark blue color on the panel look familiar?

It was the color used in the 2013 Co-Creations winner model. That’s the only other model that uses this color. As you can see from the prototypes, we tested a lot of different color schemes before we landed on this one.

Want more? Watch our play test video and see what our pullbacks get up to for fun!